How to Cook Indian (35 page)

6. Drizzle ½ teaspoon of the oil around the edges, cover with a dome-shaped lid, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes over medium heat. Turn over, drizzle another ½ teaspoon oil around the edges, and cook the other side for 2 to 3 minutes or until golden and crisp. Repeat with the remaining batter and oil.

7. Serve hot.

Sannas

Steamed rice-and-coconut cakes

Reminiscent of the South Indian snack
idli
(steamed rice cakes; page 120), Goan
sannas
are enriched with coconut milk. Goans usually use toddy (fermented palm sap) to leaven the dough of this rice cake, but here I use yeast, which is much more available. When the batter becomes light and airy, it is ready to be poured into the molds and steamed. Stainless-steel molds called
vantleo
are traditional, but
idli
molds work just as well. (Page 591 for more about
idli
molds/steamers.) The rice has to soak overnight, so plan accordingly. Serve these with any spicy curry.

Makes 16.

½ cup (100 grams) parboiled white rice

½ cup (100 grams) raw short-grain rice

¼ cup (50 grams)
dhuli urad dal
(split skinless black gram)

1 teaspoon active dry yeast

¼ teaspoon sugar

¼ cup (50 ml) coconut milk

1 teaspoon table salt

1. Wash the parboiled rice and soak in 1½ cups (300 ml) water overnight. Wash the short-grain rice and soak in 1½ cups (300 ml) water overnight. Wash the
dal
and soak in 1 cup (200 ml) water overnight.

2. The following morning, drain the parboiled rice and put it in a spice grinder. Grind to a smooth, thick paste and transfer to a large bowl. Drain the short-grain rice and grind to a smooth, thick paste; transfer to the same bowl. Drain the
dal
and grind to a smooth, thick paste; transfer to the same bowl. Whisk until well blended.

3. Put the yeast in a small bowl with the sugar and 1 tablespoon warm water. When it begins to bubble, add it to the rice batter and whisk well. Add the coconut milk and salt, and stir. Cover the bowl and set aside in a warm place to ferment for about 5 hours or until the batter doubles in volume.

4. Place a steamer with 2 cups (400 ml) water in the bottom over high heat and bring to a boil. Grease the
idli
molds. Pour the batter into each indentation, fit the
idli
molds onto the stand, and place the stand in the steamer. Cover and steam over medium heat for about 15 minutes or until done (the fully cooked steamed cake will not have any moisture and will lift out easily from the steamer).

5. Serve hot.

Sindhi Aloo Tuk

Baby potatoes with dried mango powder

This dish comes from the Sindhi community of India. They also make this
tuk
with
colocassia,
but the potato version appeals more to me. (Also called taro,
colocassia
is a type of tuber. It has large leaves in the shape of an elephant’s ear.) Sprinkle the spices over the potatoes while they are still hot so that the seasonings cling to the oily surface; the potatoes can then be served hot or at room temperature.

Serves 4.

13 ounces (375 grams) baby potatoes, peeled

1 quart (800 ml) vegetable oil

½ teaspoon red chile powder

½ teaspoon
amchur
(dried mango powder)

½ teaspoon ground coriander

½ teaspoon ground roasted cumin (page 32)

½ teaspoon table salt

1. Place a nonstick saucepan over high heat and add 3 cups (600 ml) water. When the water begins to boil, add the potatoes and cook for 15 minutes or until they are half cooked.

2. Drain the potatoes in a colander. Let cool, then press each between your palms to flatten them into thick disks.

3. Place a nonstick wok over high heat and add the oil. When small bubbles appear at the bottom of the wok, lower the heat to medium and gently slide in the potatoes in small batches. Cook each batch, turning with a slotted spoon a few times, for 8 minutes or until golden and crisp. Remove with the slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.

4. Sprinkle the chile powder,
amchur,
coriander, cumin, and salt over the hot potatoes, and toss to coat.

5. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Tiranga Paneer Tikka

Tricolor cheese bites

I made this dish to represent India’s tricolored flag, and my family demands that I make it every Indian Independence Day and Indian Republic Day.

Makes 8.

1 pound (450 grams)
paneer
(pressed fresh cheese; page 17)

½ teaspoon red chile powder

1½ teaspoons table salt

¼ cup (60 grams)
pudina aur dhaniya
chutney (mint-and-cilantro chutney; page 22)

1 cup (250 grams) plain yogurt

2 tablespoons
besan
(chickpea/gram flour)

½ tablespoon fresh ginger paste (page 12)

½ tablespoon fresh garlic paste (page 12)

¼ cup (20 grams) chopped fresh cilantro

4 green chiles, stemmed and chopped

1½ tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Melted butter for basting

1. Grate about 3½ ounces (100 grams) of the
paneer.
Cut the remaining
paneer
into 1½-inch (4-cm) cubes. Slice each cube twice (into three layers) without cutting all the way through. Set aside.

2. Put the grated
paneer,
chile powder, and ¼ teaspoon salt in a bowl, and stir well.

3. Take a cube of
paneer.
Spread some of the chutney in the first layer, and some of the grated
paneer
mixture in the second layer.

4. Put the yogurt,
besan,
ginger paste, garlic paste, cilantro, chiles, ¼ teaspoon of the salt, and the lemon juice in a large bowl. Stir well.

5. Add the stuffed
paneer
and stir gently so that all the cubes are evenly covered with the marinade. Set aside for about 1 hour.

6. Thread the
paneer
cubes onto wooden skewers, with space between them.

7. Preheat a charcoal fire to medium and grill the skewers for 5 to 6 minutes, basting with butter. (You can also cook them on the stovetop on a hot griddle.)

8. Serve immediately.

White Dhoklas

Steamed-rice-and-
dal
cakes

The thickness of these popular Gujarati
dhoklas
(which can be paper-thin or as thick as a slice of bread) varies from cook to cook. These
dhoklas
will be about the size of a slice of bread. Serve with
pudina aur dhaniya
chutney (mint-and-cilantro chutney; page 22).

Serves 4.

1 cup (200 grams) raw, short-grain rice

¼ cup (50 grams)
dhuli urad dal
(split skinless black gram)

¼ cup (65 grams) sour plain yogurt (see page 513), whisked

1 teaspoon ginger paste (page 12)

1 teaspoon green chile paste (page 13)

½ teaspoon table salt

7 or 8 black peppercorns, crushed

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons vegetable oil

2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1. Put the rice and
dal
in a bowl, wash in plenty of water 2 or 3 times, and drain. Add 3 cups (600 ml) water and soak for 4 hours. Drain.

2. Put the rice mixture in a mini food processor with ½ cup (100 ml) water and process until smooth. The mixture should be thick but of pouring consistency.

3. Transfer to a large bowl and whisk in the yogurt. There should not be any lumps in the batter. Cover the bowl with a lid and put in a warm place to ferment overnight.

4. Heat 2 cups (400 ml) water in a steamer.

5. To the batter, add the ginger paste, green chile paste, salt, peppercorns, and ½ teaspoon of the baking soda, and stir well.

6. Grease two round
dhokla
pans (see Note) with 1 tablespoon of the oil. Pour the batter into the pans until they are half full.

7. In a small bowl, combine the remaining 2 teaspoons oil, ½ teaspoon baking soda, and the lemon juice, and add half of this to each
dhokla
pan. Fit the pans onto the stand. Place the stand in the steamer. Cover and steam for 10 to 12 minutes or until a skewer inserted in a
dhokla
comes out clean.

8. Take the stand out of the steamer and remove the pans. Let cool slightly, then cut the
dhoklas
into cubes. Serve warm.

A
dhokla
pan, or an Indian steamer, is a cylindrical stainless-steel container with 2 or 3 grooves and a tight-fitting dome-shaped lid. Water is put in the bottom of the container, a perforated plate is set into the lowest groove, and the container with the food that is to be steamed is placed over the perforated plate.

If you are steaming fish, you can use 2 or 3 perforated plates and place the fish right on them. For steaming
idlis
and
dhoklas,
you use a stand in which you can put 3 or 4 plates. For
idlis,
the plates have indentations; for
dhoklas,
the plates are flat. The plates are lightly greased and the batter is poured into them. The plates are then fitted into the stand and placed in the steamer. The steamer is covered with the lid and the food is steamed for the time specified in the recipe.

Tootak

Saffron-flavored Indian bread

Tootak
is a short-crust dough snack made from semolina and was a popular breakfast treat for the Nizams (royal rulers) of Hyderabad.

Serves 4.

1 cup (200 grams)
rawa/suji
(semolina flour)

2 teaspoons table salt